Naval Sea System Command's (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) supported the removal of more than 10,000 gallons of fuel starting March 9 near historic St. George, Alaska. NAVSEA assisted the United States Coast Guard by providing offload hoses and pumping system components after the 112' fishing vessel Mar-Gun went aground March 5. The recovery operations are ongoing. "It was important that we respond quickly in that area since the fur seal, marine mammals and archaeological sites and other natural resources were at risk," said Michael Herb, Director of Salvage Operations for SUPSALV. SUPSALV is responsible for all aspects of ocean engineering, including salvage, oil pollution response, in-water ship repair, contracting, towing, diving safety, and equipment maintenance and procurement. Photo Credit ADEC - N. Huddleston, Released 4/2/2009

The Emergency Ship Salvage Material (ESSM System is a managed network of emergency response equipment stockpiles pre-positioned to support and augment US Navy Fleet capability in the areas of Salvage, Diving, Pollution Response, and Underwater Ship Husbandry (UWSH). ESSM equipment inventories and equipment descriptions can be accessed via the functional link buttons distributed on the right side of this page. (salvage, pollution, etc.) The ESSM Operations link, also on the right, accesses additional ESSM information including system management, stockpile locations, resource availability, mobilization requirements, cost, etc. ESSM resources are available to non-Navy emergency responders as described under the ESSM Operations link. Emergency Mobilization of ESSM resources can only be initiated by a request to the Office of the Supervisor of Salvage (SUPSALV) within the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC. Earliest possible notification of a pending request and discussion with cognizant SUPSALV personnel is encouraged.

Basic inventory by location can be found using the Base Location link. Department of Defense users can find detailed, up to date, information on the ESSM systems and equipment and detailed procedures on how to obtain this equipment to support upcoming operations using the "ESSM Enterprise" link from thehttps://secure.supsalv.org website.

Contact Information:

Main line (business hours): (202) 781-1731
For Finance and Contracts Response: press "1" at the prompt.
For Salvage and Pollution Operations: press "2" at the prompt.
For Diving resources: press "3" at the prompt.
For Underwater Ship Husbandry: press "5" at the prompt.

After Hours - NAVSEA Duty Office (202) 781-3889
(The duty officer will put the caller in touch with the appropriate SUPSALV POC.)